


Season's Stupidity

by ApprenticedMagician



Category: Free!
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Established Relationship, Holiday Fic Exchange, Implied Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka, M/M, Rin is a dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-27 23:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10057295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApprenticedMagician/pseuds/ApprenticedMagician
Summary: “I still don’t understand why you brought me.”“I told you twice already, Haru is impossible to shop for and I need a second opinion so I don’t do something stupid like buy a ring or something.”As though Sousuke were enough to keep Rin from doing something stupid.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [otpsfloat](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=otpsfloat), [123anime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/123anime/gifts).



> This was written for the Free! Secret Santa exchange of 2015. I wrote this for otpsfloat on tumblr, whose original prompt/request had something to do with Rin and Sousuke (forgive me, I forget exactly what it was, it's been so long).

“I still don’t understand why you brought me.”

“I told you twice already,” Rin said, continuing to browse through the box of wallets but otherwise ignoring Sousuke, “Haru is impossible to shop for and I need a second opinion so I don’t do something stupid like buy a ring or something.”

Resisting the urge to count to ten, Sousuke let out a short huff and grumbled, “Could’ve brought Makoto instead.”

“Yes,” Rin nodded, “but I can’t run the risk that he’d spoil the surprise and blab to Haru. You know Makoto can’t keep anything away from him when he wants it.” Letting out a defeated sigh, Rin gave up on wallets and started for the door.

Sousuke followed. “You really think Haru would ask him?”

“Tch. I _know_ he would. Ever since Nagisa ‘surprised’ Haru first with herring instead of mackerel and afterwards with overly salty mackerel for April Fool’s Day breakfast he’s distrustful of surprise gifts. It’s all _I_ can do not to give in to him – and that’s only because I’m staying at my Mom’s.”

“Damn guy’s too serious,” Sousuke mumbled, mostly to himself and Rin seemed not to have heard it anyway.

An hour later, they were sitting in the food court with shakes in hand and Rin had been no more successful at finding quite the right gift for his boyfriend of two years. He had tried phone charms and pajamas and aprons and even those horrid Loosey-kun plushies but nothing had sat quite right, no matter what Sousuke said about each prospective holiday gift. This more than anything had Sousuke suspecting he had been brought for another reason altogether and since Rin was looking increasingly more distressed with every rejected shop, Sousuke decided enough was enough.

“…Rin,” Sousuke said, “why don’t you just _be stupid_ and buy him a ring?”

Rin nearly choked on his shake, which Sousuke thought was a little dramatic. Even worse, Rin didn’t seem able to put together a coherent response afterwards. “I told you I – No! That doesn’t – _Why_ would you even _say_ that?!”

“Because you’re being even more stupid avoiding it than you would be buying it. Do you know you’ve looked over your shoulder at every jewelry shop we’ve passed?”

Rin’s face turned a deep scarlet. “That’s not true.”

Sousuke rasied an accusing brow. “Which part? You looking back at shops with sad puppy eyes or being more stupid than usual?”

Rin reached across the table to punch him in the arm, cheeks still an alarming shade of blush. Sousuke shifted a little out of the way – it was his good arm – but otherwise remained unaffected. “Jerk,” Rin huffed, looking away.

They sat in relative silence for another minute or two, Rin’s eyes sometimes skirting back to glance at Sousuke and then running away again as if Rin had something to be embarrassed about in front of his oldest friend.

Finally, Rin sighed and faced back towards Sousuke, confessing, “It _is_ stupid, isn’t it? Wanting to propose to someone on Christmas.”

Sousuke nodded. “It sounds exactly like the kind of romantic crap you’re into.”

Rin gave him only half a glare for that one, since he was used to Sousuke being prickly to avoid the awkwardness he often felt when Rin wanted to talk boyfriends. Then Rin went and did the only thing that could make the situation even stupider – he became _somber_.

“Haru will think it’s stupid too,” he said, miserable and looking down at his shake. “Even if he says yes. Which he _won’t_ because I’m. Not. Proposing.” He fiddled with some stray straw wrapping. “Not on Christmas, I refuse.”

Sousuke shrugged and said, “Buy him a watch then.”

Rin startled and shook his head looking confused. “Huh??”

“Get him,” Sousuke repeated, purposefully slowly, “a waterproof watch. Aren’t you always complaining that he’s never on time for things? Missing dates because he’s in the pool? I’m sure you can find one with a dolphin on it or something.”

“Yeah…” Rin’s expression turned considering. Then it brightened, joyous and smiling and Rin hopped up out of his seat, clapping Sousuke on the shoulder as he marched towards a nearby jewelry shop. “Yeah!”

Sousuke huffed in affection, moving to follow and knowing exactly what Rin was likely to walk out of that shop with. Out of curiousity, Sousuke checked his hands; both his fingers and his wrists were bigger than Haru’s likely were.

Sousuke sighed. Rin really should have brought Makoto. Even though what Rin had really needed was someone to tell him to do something stupid already.

**Author's Note:**

> Whether Rin ends up buying a watch or a ring is purposely left ambiguous - I'm undecided myself as to which he finally goes with but I think he'd be kicking himself either way for buying or leaving the ring so...
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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